Analysis of "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev
The purpose of this paper is to introduce and analyze the book "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev. Specifically it will contain a summary and personal response to the book. "Fathers and Sons" is a classic Russian novel concerning the Bazarov and Kirsanov families in 19th century Russia. The vast differences between fathers and sons make up much of the central core of the novel, including their enormously different outlooks on life, religion, and society.Arkady Kirsanov and Yevgeny Bazarov are friends, and Kirsanov is a recent graduate from the University of St. Petersburg. They are filled with their own educational experiences and beliefs in nihilism, a new philosophy sweeping Russia and the world. Scientists at heart, the two believe there is no superior being, and that life really has no "truth," and so there is really no answer to life. Bazarov tells Pavel, Kirsanov's older brother, "Then we suspected that talk and only talk about our social diseases was not worth while, that it led to nothing but hypocrisy and pedantry; we saw that our leading men,
After his death, Katya and Kirsanov marry and return to his father's estate to live and work, and Pavel, the older brother, leaves the country and becomes prosperous in Germany. In the end, she rejects Bazarov, and he becomes morose and unmotivated, while Kirsanov asks Katya to marry him, and their happiness seems assured. Those interested in Russian history would probably enjoy it more than anyone else. I liked the book, but I'm not sure I would read it again, or recommend it to other readers. Ultimately, their nihilist ideals are put to rest, and Kirsanov becomes more like his father than he might care to admit. The purpose of the novel seems to indicate that love and emotion are much more important than philosophy or religion, and that those who love can find redemption, which almost seems more like a "fairy tale" than a 19th century Russian novel. In the end, Bazarov, a medical student, is sloppy when he performs an autopsy and contracts typhus. This was an interesting book, and some of the characters were engaging, but there was so much philosophy and personal beliefs in it that it was sometimes difficult to get through. Or else better have nothing!" (Turgenev). The writing is fairly archaic and the author's tendency to repeat the first and last name of the characters throughout the novel became annoying and sometimes even confusing at times. The book was a good look into Russian culture and society at the time, and after reading it, it is easy to see how revolution and revolt eventually came to the country.
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